


Lost and Found

by bird of paper and string (jalexic)



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Action/Adventure, Basically, Bullying, Child Abuse, Homophobic Language, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, or something like that., will's journey to camp
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-24
Updated: 2015-05-24
Packaged: 2018-03-25 12:57:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3811369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jalexic/pseuds/bird%20of%20paper%20and%20string
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The life and times of Will Solace.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So idk if i will ever continue this, but enjoy nonetheless.
> 
> funfact- i started writing this in june last year, and i only wrote the poem before i gave up :P heres to reviving old works!

_"There once was a boy in class,_

_He had a lot of sass,_

_With bright blonde hair_

_And a dramatic flair,_

_He also had a really nice ass-"_

"Will Solace!” The class burst into giggles as Will’s teacher stood up abruptly, glaring at Will from where he leaned casually against the whiteboard at the front of the room. He grinned cheekily at her.

“Yes, Miss Fisher? Is there a problem?” he asked sarcastically, relishing in the rise in laughter from his classmates.

Miss Fisher's nostrils flared as she breathed out angrily. “I will not tolerate that kind of language in my classroom. When I asked you to recite your poem, I was not expecting… _that._ ”

“Personally, I quite liked my poem. And I worked really hard on it. Staying up till past midnight, y’know?” Will said, still smiling sweetly as the giggles died down, the class quieting to watch the scene in front of them.

“Well, _personally_ , I do not appreciate you using this assignment as an excuse to spread vulgar language. You must report back to this classroom after school and your punishment will be decided then.” The class oohed at the teacher’s curt response, and Will shrugged a little before sauntering back to his desk, unfazed.

It wasn’t uncommon for him to get in trouble here in there, he was just trying to spice things up considering how damn boring high school was. Especially english. This year, english was Will’s least favourite subject, which was ironic considering it used to be the one he most looked forward to. When he was younger, he would always look forward to reading books and writing poetry and learning new words and everything that came along with the beautiful specimen that was the english language. But, this year, with his new step-dad confiscating his books and Andy Simmons bullying him more than usual and Miss Fisher being a stuck-up prude, english class was equivalent to hell.

Speak of the devil, Will felt something hit the back of his head, and when he turned he saw a crumpled up piece of paper behind him. Sighing and, even though he knew better, he picked it up and unfolded it, reading the messy handwritten message:

_“Nice poem, faggot. Prepare to get your ‘nice ass’ kicked after school.”_

Ah, the F word, one that Will was faced with every day. No, not fuck. _Faggot._ It was a shame, really, that such a word would be used as an insult so often, considering that the Oxford Dictionary defined ‘faggot’ as ‘a ball or roll of seasoned chopped liver, baked or fried.’ That sounded quite delicious, actually, but hell would freeze over before the word and the meaning were ever associated with each other again.

And, if we’re being completely honest, and if faggot was defined by Andy, then technically Will was one. He was gay, and it was hard to not be ashamed. It was hard to embrace who he was when it was so looked down on and he was so ridiculed for it.

And it wasn’t just Andy Simmons and his posse of assholes. It was Will’s step-dad, too. His name was James and his douchebaggery put Andy’s to shame. He was a jerk when he married Will’s mum, but he was a jerk with money. And, despite what they say, money goes a long way. Will and his mother had been struggling, so when James came along flashing his hundred dollar bills, they had jumped at the chance. Well, his mother had been enthusiastic, Will was still sceptical considering his last step-dad but he was smart enough to realise that they needed the money to survive.

So he toughened up and dealt with James’ colourful character, he put up with everything from his requests for more beer to his meaningless yet hurtful beatings. Will went through it all while his mother stood back and collected the money she wanted, needed, and barely shared with him. He could have told someone, he could have let the bruises speak for themselves, but he didn’t, because his mother loved him, surely, she had a plan and one day they would move far away from James.

Well, fantasy is cool and all but the reality is that she left. By herself. One day, it was a Thursday, the second Thursday of April, Will woke up and his mother was gone. Just, gone. She packed her bags and left in the middle of the night with most of the money and without a goodbye. No explanation, no ‘I’m sorry’, nothing.

James had been furious, of course, because “That bitch stole all my money!” Will could hardly feel or even care about the new bruises and angry scars on his body when he was wallowing in sadness. His mother, the only family he ever had, had abandoned him. She had left him alone with James, who she knew was abusive and manipulative and controlling and every goddamn negative adjective under the fucking sun. She didn’t care, apparently, and now Will was alone.

Not completely alone, though. There was still Sam, the closest thing Will had for a best friend since, well, since his own mother, and you can see how well that went. Will wasn’t exactly unpopular, but people tended to avoid him because of multiple reasons, the most prominent probably being the target on his back placed by Andy and his crew, another being his dyslexia. It was stupid; the main reasons he didn’t have friends were due to some asshole with anger issues and some quality he couldn’t control.

But, back to Sam. Sam Free was a quirky guy with brown hair, glasses and bright green eyes. He was enthusiastic and kind, and seemed very determined to be Will’s friend, which was strange and led to Will half-heartedly avoiding him, conscious of a possible ulterior motive. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Sam, Will just thought it was odd how his goal appeared to be to befriend Will, despite the fact that no one else in the school would give him any reason to.

Will didn’t really give him a reason either. He usually kept to himself, hanging out alone at lunch, sometimes going to the music room to mess around on guitar. He didn’t really talk to people much, but he was still somewhat confident; like today, for example, joking in front of the class and getting them to laugh. He wasn’t afraid of being friendly from afar, but he didn’t talk to people up close. Not because he didn’t want to, but it seemed that people didn’t want to talk to him. And he was fine with that.

But Sam was persistent. Will can remember how Sam randomly approached him one day, attempting to start a conversation about the My Chemical Romance tee Will was wearing. He had made it a mission to find common interests between them while Will had stood there slightly confused and barely keeping up with the conversation. He had tried to be friendly back, but he didn’t put too much effort into it. He didn’t put much effort into anything these days.

Sam kept coming back, bringing new conversation topics with him, and Will slowly got used to it, and now he expected it every day; Sam meeting him at his locker and talking with him until the bell went and they had to go their separate ways. They didn’t have any classes together, which was kind of a shame; Will wouldn’t mind some company to prevent him from being bored out of his mind.

Which he was right now, sitting back at his desk with Andy’s note crumpled in his fist. The clock was slowly ticking and class was almost over, and as soon as it was, Will would rush to his locker, momentarily running away from his threat. He knew he couldn’t avoid Andy forever, the beating would come eventually, as promised, but maybe he could get Sam to distract him for a while until school was over and he had to be back to see Miss Fisher. That sounded like a good plan, and as the bell went, he set it into motion.

Will grabbed his things and headed for the door, not even bothering to listen to Miss Fisher’s shriek about homework before he was gone, walking briskly down the hallway, happy to be out before the crowds came. Students trickled out of doorways and soon Will was boxed in from all ends, pushing his way through and trying to find the current going in his direction. It was a skill, really, traversing through suffocating school hallways, and soon enough Will was at his locker.

No surprises, Sam was already there, his backpack slung over his shoulders while he bounced on the balls of his feet. This was typical behaviour, and usually Will attributed it to excitement, but today it was different. Sam looked nervous, scared. He didn’t have time to ponder it however, as suddenly someone shoved him and smashed his face into the wall of lockers in front of him.

“Hey there, fag,” a taunting voice came from behind him, and Will recognised it immediately. He sighed dejectedly as a hand held the back of his neck, pressing his face into the cool metal.

“Since you got punishment after school, your beating’s gonna have to wait until tomorrow. Lucky you,” Andy said, and Will could hear the sneer in his voice. He didn’t grace his captor with a reply, staying silent even when he could hear the laughs of the posse at his back. Andy, realising he wasn’t going to get a response, gave up and stepped back, spitting one last insult his way before walking away, his friends in tow.

Will brought a hand to his face and rubbed his skin, and yeah, he was going to have a bruise. Great. It’s not like he didn’t have enough already. Sighing, he turned to his locker and started working on the lock, not paying any mind when he felt Sam giving him a sad look.

“You good?” Sam asked, and Will didn’t even consider answering honestly for a second.

“I’m fine.” His voice was slightly hoarse and he cleared his throat, shoving around the mess in his locker until he found the books he needed, chucking in the ones he didn’t. Sam didn’t say anything else until his locker was closed.

“So, um, do you wanna come to my house after school?”

Okay, where the fuck did _that_ come from? Did Will want to go to Sam’s house? Will frowned, confused. Just because he was Will’s closest friend, it didn’t mean him and Sam were close by any means. They just talked at school, never outside of it. Hell, Will didn’t even know Sam’s number, much less where he lived. They had never discussed anything of the sort before, seeming to have come to a mutual agreement to keep things strictly on school grounds. Which was fine with Will, he wouldn’t want Sam to see his shitty house anyway, but this request was just plain odd.

“Um, what?” was Will’s eloquent reply, and he just stood there staring as Sam’s cheeks reddened in embarrassment.

“Uh, I mean. Like. Do you, uh, would you maybe want to, like, um. I just thought. I’m sorry, but, I just-” Sam was stuttering, floundering for words and some kind of explanation, and Will cut him off.

“ _Sam._ Stop. Look, I’m not sure where that came from, but I can’t go to your house anyway. I have to go see Fisher after school. Sorry,” he said, and he was ready to offer a wave and turn away, but Sam’s widening eyes stopped him.

“Wait, no, you can’t! You absolutely cannot go and see Miss Fisher!” Sam’s voice was frantic and panicked, enough for Will to physically take a step back.

“What do you mean, I can’t? I’ve been in trouble plenty of times before, it’s nothing new. And it’s not really your business, anyway.” Will didn’t know why he was being so rude, basically telling Sam to fuck off, but he was in a slightly bad mood. Like he said, trouble was nothing new, and Andy tormenting him was an everyday occurrence, but he had been having a weird feeling all day. He just had a strange sense of foreboding, like something bad was going to happen, and it had made him upset since it prevented him from focusing on the only things that made him happy. Still, it wasn’t an excuse for snapping at Sam, even though he was acting strange, and Will took a deep breath before speaking again.

“Look, Sam, I’m sorry. I don’t know why you don’t want me to go and see Fisher, but I don’t really have a choice. Maybe I can go to your house tomorrow, or something,” he said, offering what he hoped was a friendly smile at the end.

Sam looked conflicted, like he wanted to argue but, at the same time, he didn’t want to appear controlling. “Can’t you just ditch?” he asked.

Will shook his head. “Last time I did that, I got two afternoon detentions. So nope, I gotta go. Again, sorry.”

“It’s okay, stop apologising. Just, um. Here.” Sam reached into his back pocket and pulled out a necklace, handing it to Will. It was a gold chain, sparkling in the sun, with the charm of a bow on the end. Will was confused, to say the least.

“Uh, what’s this for?” he asked, reaching out to take the necklace from his friend.

Sam gulped. “Oh, it’s um. It’s for, like, I don’t know. Holy Hera I have no idea what I’m doing.” He mumbled the last part, but Will still heard him. By that time the sea of students had thinned out and there were only a few left here and there, but even they were getting ready to leave. Will knew he had to go soon, but Sam spoke again before he could make his exit.

“Listen, Will, I don’t have time to explain, and I’m sorry. But, basically, if anything bad happens, just pull on the bow on the end of the necklace and, and… just do it, okay? Trust me.” Sam’s eyes were pleading and Will was conflicted. Trust Sam? He had no reason not to, but did he have a reason to actively place his trust in Sam’s words? Considering he was the only person who didn’t straight up and openly hate Will, maybe.

“Okay,” he replied, and Sam didn’t look convinced but Will didn’t have time to worry about that. He slipped the necklace into his pocket, lifted his hand in a wave, and turned on his heel to walk away.

\-----

The walk back to Miss Fisher’s classroom was uneventful right up until the point where Will approached the closed door. That foreboding feeling from before was back, and it was more intense than ever. Will’s mouth was dry, his hands were sweating and a dull throbbing had started in his head, a constant pang at regular intervals. The hallway was deserted, deathly quiet. Something was wrong.

Will knew, he _knew_ , that he shouldn’t open the door, he should instead just turn around and walk back the way he came, back to Sam. But, almost as if he couldn’t control his body, he reached out a shaky hand and touched the cool door knob, beginning to twist it. The door opened without a sound, and, as Will stepped inside, he saw that the classroom was empty. Miss Fisher was nowhere in sight.

After a few seconds of breathing in the cool air and trying to ignore the pounding in his head, Will wiped his palms on his jeans and spoke. “Miss Fisher? Are you here?” he called out. His voice was slightly shaky, his nerves showing. There was no response.

The silence was deafening, and yeah, something was definitely wrong. Will tried to convince himself otherwise. _Don’t be an idiot_ , he thought. _Everything’s fine. Miss Fisher probably went to go get some papers or something and she’s gonna walk in any second now._

The reassurance fell flat, however, when the door behind Will suddenly slammed shut. He whipped around, staring with wide eyes at the door that had once been wide open. His heart rate increased, a rapid beating in his chest, and he almost had a goddamn heart attack when a voice came from behind him.

“Will Solace.” The sound was smooth like honey, yet there was something ominous about it. Something… evil. Will turned to see Miss Fisher leaning casually against her desk, and the gears worked frantically in his mind. How did she get there? She wasn’t in the room before. How did the door close? All of these questions went unanswered as his teacher spoke again.

“It’s nice of you to join me. Please, take a seat.” She gestured to the desks at her side, and her offer was clear, but Will was frozen to the spot. There was so much going on inside his mind right now; reassurances like _it was the wind, you just didn’t see her,_ conspiracies like _was it a ghost? is she a ghost?_ so many inaccuracies that his head hurt even more. He still couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, and Miss Fisher seemed to be getting frustrated.

She rolled her eyes and sighed, like she was annoyed with him for being shocked. “Fine then, don’t sit. Don’t talk either, leave that up to me, sweetie.” And okay, that was weird, she called him _sweetie_. She’d never done that before, not to him or anyone else, or at least not that he had observed, and now that Will was paying attention, he could see just how out of character Miss Fisher was acting. Either she was fake now, or she had been fake all along. His voice still failed him.

“Listen, Will, I’m just gonna get straight to it. You are a demigod, and you need to die. Simple as that, right?” her voice was eerily perky, a sweet smile on her lips as she stared him down. Her eyes were cold, however, dark like coal.

Will’s mind was whirring. A demigod? What in the world was that? And what did she mean, he needed to die? What the fuck? He didn’t have time to contemplate anything, however, as Miss Fisher was all of a sudden lunging towards him, a mighty roar escaping her mouth.

Suddenly, Will wasn’t frozen anymore, and he barely had time to stumble out of the way before Miss Fisher clawed at the spot where he had just been standing. With wide eyes and fast breathing, Will looked back to see that Miss Fisher was… changing. Her skin was fading into a sickly green colour, and, as Will looked closer, he saw that she was growing scales.

He had barely two seconds to register his shock before his former teacher was turning to face him, obviously displeased with him having gotten away. She let out what sounded suspiciously like a hiss, and stood up tall, balancing on thick slimy legs, staring him down.

 _“You will die.”_ Her voice was different now, almost like it was multiple voices layered on top of one another, and before he could stop himself, Will let out the words bubbling in his throat.

“What the fuck are you?” he exclaimed, and the creature in front of him let out a sound that was like steam hissing out of a boiler. With a shock, Will realised it was a _laugh._

“Oh, sweet demigod, that does not matter to you. All that matters is that you are already dead.” Before Will could say anything else, she was already lunging forward again, and Will moved quickly, ducking under a desk and trying to calm his racing heartbeat. He could hear chairs being knocked over as the monster, since there was no way she was Miss Fisher anymore, crashed into them with her momentum.

Taking the few precious seconds that he had, Will tried to think of a plan, and later he would marvel at how this all came to naturally to him, but at the moment it was all instinct and he just went with it. _I need to get away,_ was his first thought, and immediately after that, _I need to fight her to do that. I need to kill her._

 _A weapon._ He needed a weapon, and he needed one fast. He could hear clattering as the snake-like creature started to get up and recover, her frustrated hissing almost silent compared to Will’s own erratic pants and quickening heart. His lungs felt like they were burning, but he needed to focus.

Back to the weapon dilemma, Will searched his mind frantically. What could he use to fight her? And, like a ton of bricks dropping from the sky, it hit him. _The necklace._ The one that Sam gave him. For the most part, Will was knew that there was a chance that it was simply a useless necklace, just a strange gift from a stranger friend. But somewhere at the back of his mind was a feeling that he was right, that the necklace would help. And Sam did say to pull on the bow on the end of the chain if anything bad happens, and this situation definitely classified as bad, so Will did just that.

He pulled the necklace out of his pocket, trying to ignore the sounds of the monster wading through knocked over chairs, getting closer and closer to where he was crouched. He held the cool golden chain between his fingers, and with the other hand he grabbed the bow on the end, and he pulled.

There was a bright flash of light, brighter than the sun, and suddenly the necklace was gone and a bow was in its place. It too was gold, gleaming, shining, and Will was momentarily entranced by its beauty. That couldn’t last, though, as soon the reality of chairs scraping was brought to the forefront of his mind when the creature reached him.

She grabbed the desk he was under, lifting it with ease and tossing it across the room, and Will flinched as it crashed into the wall. He quickly scrambled away, his back hitting the wall, bow clutched tightly in his fist, and as the monster loomed over him, snarling cruelly, he realised two very unfortunate things. He had never shot a bow before. And there were no arrows.

“Time to die, demigod,” the monster spat once more, and Will barely had time to think _oh shit_ as she launched herself at him. Without thinking, Will lifted the bow up, pointed it at her, and pulled back the string. There was momentary wonder as a bronze arrow appeared out of thin air, already nocked and in place, before Will let go of the bowstring.

Time seemed to slow down as Will watched the shining bronze arrow sail through the air, the bowstring snapping back into his forearm, the stinging pain going unregistered. It wasn’t a perfect shot, but the arrow hit its target, and Will let out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding when it pierced the monster in the side. She let out a painful shriek before she… exploded, was the best way to describe it. She just burst into gold dust, and it might have been a cool sight if Will’s heart wasn’t about to beat hard enough to crack his rib cage.

He took deep breaths, trying to steady the ache in his lungs as he kept staring at the gold particles fluttering in the air in front of him, slowly falling to the ground. The throbbing in his head was gone, and so was the ominous feeling. It seemed that whatever bad thing that was supposed to happen was over. Or at least, Will thought that until the door burst open.

He brought the bow up, uncharacteristically ready to nock an arrow and fire at whoever it was, but he stopped himself when he saw who it was.

 _“Woah_ , dude, calm down! I’m not a monster, I promise!” It was Sam, and he looked around the room with wide eyes as he took  in the gold dust on the floor, the knocked over furniture, Will’s disheveled appearance. It was obvious what had happened.

“I think I killed the teacher.” Will’s voice was flat, yet still confused. He was in shock, he had no idea what just happened, he didn’t know anything.

Sam let out a breathy laugh. “Will, no, it’s okay. You didn’t. Well, you kinda did, but it’s cool, cuz she was a monster anyway, and I’m just confusing you more aren’t I?” He observed Will’s frown, giving him a quick “sorry.”

Suddenly Sam became serious, his posture straightening and his eyes hardening. “Listen, Will, I can explain, and I’m going to, but first we have to go. So get up, come on, we’re leaving.”

Will didn’t even have the energy to ask where they were going, why they were leaving, what they were doing. He just let himself be dragged to his unsteady feet, let Sam pull him out the door, away from the pile of shimmering dust.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not too sure where I'm going with this story, I usually just add onto it when I have writer's block, but enjoy nonetheless.

Will usually hated the cold. He hated shivering and having chattering teeth, there was nothing fun about it. The cold also meant that leaving the house was less desirable, and even if his step-dad James was being particularly obnoxious, Will would choose to deal with it rather than go outside.

Summer was fun, it was easy. You don’t have to bundle up with a thousand layers in an effort not to freeze. Summer also meant Will could leave the house early in the morning and not come back until the late afternoon and it would still be light out. Will loved the warmth and comfort that came with Summer, it was one of his favourite things.

But now, as Sam dragged him out the front door of Mission Bay High School, Will was more thankful than ever at the biting chill in the air. There was a light snowfall, and the drifting flakes stung Will’s arms as they dissolved on his skin, but the sensation brought him back to reality. He was still in a daze from what had just happened only a few minutes prior, but the shock of the sudden cold helped to clear his mind and set his thoughts in motion.

And now that Will started thinking, he couldn’t seem to stop. _What just happened? What happened to Miss Fisher? What did I do to her?_ So many thoughts swirled in his head and his lungs still stung with the rhythm of his heartbeat that Will started to feel physically sick. Before he could stop himself, before he could give any warning, Will yanked his arm out of Sam’s grasp and lurched to the side before leaning over and retching. His stomach heaved and he let out short gasps and gagged.

“Ah, gross,” Sam muttered, but his sympathetic tone barely broke through the haze in Will’s mind. By the time he was done, his back was sore from leaning over and there were tears prickling his eyes. Standing up straight, Will turned to face Sam, and he had no doubt that he looked like an absolute mess, but that was the last thing on his mind at the moment.

“Dude, fucking explain. Now.” He didn’t mean to sound so demanding, it wasn’t supposed to be an order, but it came out like that and Will wasn’t too bothered. He did need an explanation, after all, and Sam had promised him one.

Sam looked a little nervous, and his eyes darted back to the school building before looking at Will. He opened his mouth as if to speak, closed it, then opened it again as he searched for the right words. Will’s fists clenched and unclenched as he waited.

“Listen, Will, I’d really rather not go into detail right now. We’re not in the clear yet, okay?” When he saw Will’s eyes narrowing slightly in annoyance, he hastily continued. “But, I can give you a basic rundown. Arlight, bottom line is, you’re a demigod. That means that one of your parents is a mortal, and the other is a Greek god. Yes, I _know_ that sounds crazy, stop looking at me like that. But yeah, you’re half god.”

Will felt like he was slapped in the face, and he took the following moment of silence to process what Sam just said. He was a demigod. A fucking demigod. What the fuck. Going by the information he was just given, Will managed to figure out why his dad had never been around. He was a god. Jesus fucking Christ.

There were so many more questions that Will wanted to ask, so many more things he needed to know, but before he put any of it into words, Sam spoke.

“Will, I know you’re confused. I would be too. And I’m sorry, this wasn’t supposed to happen like this. But it did, and now we need to go. I promise I’ll answer all of your questions later, but we really need to start moving.” Sam’s voice was frantic, and it was in that moment that the seriousness of the situation finally caught up with Will. This was all real, it wasn’t a dream, and the rational side of him knew that standing around and talking wouldn’t accomplish anything. So he decided to just go along with whatever Sam had planned, since he obviously knew more, and he would figure it all out later.

“Okay. Let’s go,” Will said, and he noticed the relief in Sam’s eyes when he didn’t protest or ask anymore questions. Will let his muscles loosen momentarily, feeling the sensation of pure exhaustion creep up on him, but before he could be consumed, Sam was yet again grabbing his arm and dragging him away. As they built up to a run, getting farther and farther away from the school, Will focused on the snow melting into his veins.

\-----

Will managed to ignore the burning sensation in his legs from running so much by instead occupying his mind with other thoughts. He tried not to think about what had happened at the school, he didn’t want to think about what it all meant, now that he was a demigod. Well, he supposed that he had _always_ been one, but only now was he aware of it. Whether or not that would change things, Will didn’t know, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to.

He tried to think happy thoughts in an effort to calm himself down, but instead of the usual punk music and classic novels that would otherwise occupy his happy place, Will’s mind was instead plagued with thoughts of his step-dad. James was somewhat of a small factor in the overall situation, and Will supposed he didn’t really matter anymore. If he went with Sam now, if he let himself be led away from it all, then maybe soon James would be nothing more than a bad memory, a four-year-long nightmare.

Will let himself take comfort in the fact that he didn’t have to worry about James anymore, didn’t have to deal with all the crap he was given on a daily basis. He knew that if he left now, James wouldn’t care, he probably wouldn’t even notice, and while others may have considered that an unhappy idea, Will was thankful for it. He could make a clean getaway, so to speak, and he would be free.

Time flies when you’re thinking about escaping your evil step-dad, and before long Sam slowed down before coming to a complete stop. Will, not paying attention, bumped into his back before setting himself straight and looking around. He noticed they were at the train station, and instead of explaining why, Sam just started walking at a normal pace towards the entrance. Will stood, slightly perplexed, for a few seconds before his brain caught up with him and he jogged to keep up.

After taking a little while to catch his breath, Will glanced over at Sam. “Why are we here?”

Sam looked more serious than Will had ever seen him, but he was obviously making an effort to loosen up a bit, trying not to let nerves consume him, Will supposed. “I think it’s pretty obvious,” he said, and his voice was firm, authoritative. “We're catching the first train out of here.”

Will felt all the blood rush to his head, and he could say nothing, do nothing but let out a little sigh of relief. A plan, however small, was all he needed to relax. He took a deep breath as they continued walking, and he cleared his mind of all thoughts except for what was happening at that very moment.

They passed a bathroom, and Will excused himself while Sam went to get their tickets, instead heading in to wash himself up a little. When he entered the small building, he turned his back to the row of stalls and faced the mirror, taking in his reflection. His hair was messy, his skin flushed, and his eyes wild. He looked homeless more than anything, not like he had just fought a monster. His hands shook with adrenaline as he turned on the tap, letting the ice cold water run over his skin. He splashed his face, washing off the sweat, before he left, taking another deep breath as he walked.

Sam was standing at the end of the platform, and Will made his way to him, wiping his hands on his jeans as he went.

“I’ve got two tickets to Connecticut. We’ll get off at the north end, and then we’ll have to make our way to Long Island.” Sam’s calm voice helped Will’s heartbeat to slow down, and he nodded before speaking.

“Why Long Island?” Will asked, and he couldn’t help but follow it up with another question. “Where are we going, exactly?”

Sam drew his mouth in a tight line and breathed out through his nose, seeming to contemplate how to answer. People continued to walk around them, as though they were completely insignificant to anyone else’s existence, which they were. “There’s a place there that’s safe for demigods. It’s called Camp Half Blood.”

Will let the information sink in. A place safe for demigods, meaning there were more. Was Sam one? How did he know all of this anyway? Will didn’t get to ask, however, as a train came to a halt in front of them.

“This is ours, come on.” Will felt the now familiar grip of Sam’s hand on his forearm, but he only let himself be led along momentarily before he stepped up next to Sam, walking with him as opposed to after him. He was more sure of himself now, even though only slightly, and as Sam handed him a ticket when they boarded the train, he clenched it in his fist. The paper crinkled beneath his fingers, and Will felt himself relax.

\-----

The heaters in the train were on full blast, and as Will sat on a seat across from Sam, he let the warmth seep into his bones. Looking out the window, Will watched as the station and the people on the platform slowly started to slip away and get smaller. It wasn’t until they were out of sight completely and all Will could see was a bunch of apartment blocks and snowy roads that he broke the silence.

“You gonna explain now?” he asked softly, and he saw Sam look up at him with a steady gaze. Will watched as he inhaled the warm air, filling his lungs before sighing. When he spoke, his voice was gentle, as though he was sorry for what he was about to say. “Okay.” And he began.

Sam told Will about the Greek gods, how they were still alive, how they sometimes had kids with mortals. He told him about demigods and how they were hunted by monsters, which explained Miss Fisher, and how they could never be completely safe until they went to Camp Half Blood. Will stayed quiet and listened as Sam spoke, occasionally glancing around to see if anyone was listening, but they were alone in the carriage except for a lady sleeping at the other end. By the time Sam was done, a couple of cities had passed by the window and Will’s mind was reeling as he tried to take it all in.

It wasn’t easy, just accepting it all as true and realising that life as he knew it was about to change dramatically, hopefully for the better. But it wasn’t that hard either, since Will’s life before had mainly consisted of avoiding his step-dad and listening to MCR. He hadn’t thought about his mother in a long time, but now he wondered if her leaving had something to do with all of this godly stuff, like maybe she left for his safety or something. The thoughts stung like thorns in his side, and Will pushed them away. It had been too long and he had built up walls to block the memory of her from his mind. He would consider that later.

Now, though, he let himself go over the infomation Sam had given him, and try and understand what it all meant. He tried to be logical, and a few cities later, he felt okay. Will focused on the warm fabric of the seat he was sitting on, heating his skin, and it was only then he realised how tired he was. The monster fight combined with running a few blocks and then getting told his life was a lie could really take a toll on a person, and Will let his eyes slip closed.

“Go to sleep, dude.” Sam’s soft voice pierced the cloud of exhaustion in Will’s mind, “I’ll keep watch.” From that Will vaguely registered that he would have to keep watch at some point, but for now he ignored that, instead focusing on the gentle rumble of the train on the tracks.

\-----

Will’s dreams usually consisted of punk concerts and scenes from novels. They weren’t particularly interesting, but Will was used to them and they were comforting and familiar. His dream on the train was anything but comforting.

It took place in his English classroom, and Will was sitting at his usual desk while Miss Fisher, who looked like a normal person, stood at the front. She was facing away, with her back to Will, and there was no one else in the room. It was only Will and her, and everything was silent. After a few seconds of observing his surroundings, Will spoke.

“Um, Miss Fisher?” He was still a little weary, considering his last encounter with his monstrous English teacher, but she looked normal now, maybe this was real life and everything else was a dream. Those thoughts were quickly dismissed when Miss Fisher turned around, and Will saw her face was covered in green scales but otherwise normal. Will recoiled a little from the sight, and he shivered as his teacher gave him a toothy grin.

“Hello, Will. Come to apologise, have you?” Her voice was soft and layered just like before, and her kind tone made the hair on the back of Will’s neck stand on end. She was acting friendly, but he knew he couldn’t trust her. Will was proven right when the scales on Miss Fisher’s face slowly started spreading down her neck and along her chest. Will was entranced with a morbid curiosity as he watched until her entire body was covered, and she still smiled that creepy smile.

When she started a slow, casual walk towards him, Will stood and his hands went straight to his pocket, fumbling for the necklace that Sam had given him. But it wasn’t there. Panic flooded through Will’s veins as his mind worked frantically to try and figure out where the necklace was, and Miss Fisher just kept walking, getting closer by the second. Will’s breathing quickened, and he had the urge to just give up, let Miss Fisher take him. What could he do to stop it?

Just as Miss Fisher, green and scaly, was just a foot away from him, a bright light filled the room, and all Will saw was white before he awoke with a gasp. Sam, still sitting across from him, glanced up curiously but didn’t seem deterred by Will’s flushed skin and fast breathing. Will let his hands wander, feeling the seat he was on, leaning his head against the cool glass of the window, anything to assure himself where he was. The sun was setting outside, the sky was gold, and Will realised he must have been sleeping for a while.

Suddenly, a thought struck him, and his hands flew straight to his pockets, feeling around until his fingers closed around a chain. It was the necklace, he still had it, thank God. Or, gods, he supposed. Will took out the necklace, holding it and examining it in his open palm. Sam watched him.

“That’s a gift from your dad, you know.” Will felt himself stiffen at his friend’s words. A gift from his dad? His real dad, as in the god? Suddenly the presence of the necklace wasn’t that comforting, and Will frowned as he stuffed it back in his pocket, not wanting to think about it anymore. His dad had left him, abandoned him, and now he was giving him gifts. Will didn’t know how to feel.

He saw Sam yawn, and Will felt sympathetic. “You can sleep now. I’m not tired anymore.”

Sam gazed at him for a little while, as if he was deciding whether he should agree or not, if Will could be trusted, but he eventually nodded. “Wake me up if you need me,” he said, and Will gave him a thumbs up. Sam rolled his eyes before leaning against the window, slouched in an effort to be comfortable as his breathing slowed. Will looked at him for a second, trying to wrap his mind around who exactly Sam was. He was Will’s only friend, and now he was something else, someone involved in the godly world and who knew way more than Will. He would have to ask later, what Sam’s history was. It was strange, and for a moment Will was struck with the thought that Sam was only friends with him in the first place because he was a demigod. He bit his bottom lip and tried not to think about it. He’d been doing that a lot lately.

Instead he turned his attention to the window, and he watched the city lights glow bright against the slowly darkening sky.


End file.
